Bronx veteran says landlord failed to fix apartment ceiling that caved in on him

A Bronx veteran and a Purple Heart recipient says he is living a nightmare after his ceiling collapsed on him last month and his landlord has done nothing.

News 12 Staff

May 15, 2021, 2:29 AM

Updated 1,247 days ago

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A Bronx veteran and a Purple Heart recipient says he is living a nightmare after his ceiling collapsed on him last month and his landlord has done nothing.
Anthony Apostolos says he almost died when the ceiling in his apartment in Bedford Park caved in on him.
"The whole ceiling collapsed on me, the whole thing just fell right on top of me right here," he said.
Apostolos said water was pouring out of the ceiling and that his son rescued him from the wreckage early in the morning on April 24.
Apostolos says he has lived in this building for almost 13 years and in his words, "it's been a disaster the entire time."
He says this latest incident sent him to the hospital.
"They're telling me I have a concussion and I have to see a neurologist now because of this," he said.
The incident hurt Apostolos financially too.
"Destroyed everything in here. All my equipment, Macintosh equipment, stereo equipment. All my clothes were destroyed. Everything," said Apostolos.
News 12 contacted the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, who showed up while News 12 was interviewing Apostolos.
HPD says it has issued violations against the building owner Genesis Realty Group. The department said its emergency repair program would oversee repairs. They said it appeared the owner had started repairs but progress appeared stalled.
Apostolos says he doesn't feel safe in his building anymore and has contacted lawyers.
"Remember the movie with Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise? When the guy said, 'You messed with the wrong Marine.' I'm not going to give up on this," he said.
News 12 tried contacting Apostolos' landlord multiple times but has not heard back.